Defenders of the Force Episode 8: The Revolutionaries Strike
by EsmeAmelia
Summary: A Jedi trainee field trip to Yavin 4 turns dangerous when the Revolutionaries invade. Eighth story in a series featuring Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, the droids, and OCs.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hey! Thanks to everyone who's been following this series. I'm sorry my updates with it have been so slow. I'd like to say I'll do better now, but I'm currently taking grad school courses, meaning fanfic might be on the back burner for a while (but I definitely WON'T be abandoning this series).

"Defenders of the Force Episode 8: The Revolutionaries Strike"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 1

Mae felt surreal walking into school the next day. The next day . . . in this world Jaina and Jacen's birthday party was only _yesterday_ while from her point of view more than two weeks had passed since then. Some part of her felt like it should still be in that alternate world where her father was Emperor.

She _thought_ her parents believed her. They trusted her, right? Even when she had an outrageous and unbelievable story, right? She might have expected her mother to mention the possibility of other universes existing in her Philosophy of the Force class, but no, Rianna didn't even hint at it. She walked with Anakin and Tamyra from class to class as usual, but they were both strangely quiet. Of course, Mae supposed that she herself could start a conversation, but the thought of actually doing so made her wince.

Finally at lunch, when the silence between the three friends had reached awkward levels, especially when compared to the noisy cafeteria, she forced herself to speak.

"So . . . you guys have been awfully quiet today."

"So have you," said Anakin.

Mae suddenly got interested in figuring out whether or not the two halves of her sandwich were the same size. "Well . . . I would've thought we might like to discuss that . . . _adventure_ we had."

"I'm not sure if Dad believes it," said Anakin.

"Hey, I was there and I'm not sure if _I_ believe it," said Mae.

Tamyra was shuddering a bit. "I'm trying not to think about it, personally."

"Why not?" asked Anakin.

"Oh, maybe because I almost became a _Dark Jedi,"_ Tamyra snapped.

Anakin gulped, gazing down at his food. "Well . . . I did too."

"Not like I did," Tamyra said in a cold voice. "You were trying to save your father, but I . . . I was going to throw away my soul just so I wouldn't be blind anymore."

Mae didn't know how to respond to that. Her interest in the two halves of her sandwich was growing more intense – it seemed like the right half was indeed larger than the left one.

"Tamyra, don't worry about it," Anakin was saying.

"But I _still_ want to see," Tamyra blurted out, holding her hand in front of her eyes. "I've been told my skin is _green_ – but I don't know what _green_ is. My double in the alternate universe _could_ see . . . so why can't I?" Her breath shortened. "Does that make me weak?"

Mae slowly put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're _not_ weak, Tamyra . . . it's perfectly understandable that you'd want to see."

"But I almost . . ."

"Shhh," Mae quickly interjected. "You heard Yoda – we _all_ succumbed to something, but we'll learn to be stronger."

"But I'll still be blind."

Neither Mae nor Anakin knew how to respond to that.

. . .

"Hey everyone," Ahsoka shouted as soon as they were all in Basic Force Training class, "guess what?"

"We're skipping meditation?" asked the Torgruta student Sylia, giving a hopeful grin.

"Sorry, no," Ahsoka said, meeting with a collective groan. "But you'll still like it." She gave a big grin, shifting her weight from foot to foot as if she were preparing a surprise party. "Master Skywalker has given me permission to take you first-year trainees on a trip!"

A chorus of "ooohs!" went through the class. "Where are we going?" Anakin shouted so fast that it sounded like one word, causing Mae to snicker slightly.

"We'll be going to Yavin 4!" Ahsoka exclaimed, immediately met with another chorus of "ooohs!" "Yes," she continued, "we'll be visiting the old Rebel Base from that historic battle where the first Death Star was destroyed. The temples where the base was have since been converted into a museum with all sorts of artifacts from the war. Doesn't that sound cool?"

"I dunno," said Sylia. "Sounds kinda boring to me."

"It's not boring," said Anakin. "I've been there with my parents and there are lots of neat exhibits and holofilms and stuff."

Mae had been there several times with her family too. In fact, one of the holofilms they showed there was of Luke and Rianna playing with Mae when she was a baby.

Wait, what if they showed that particular holofilm during their trip?

Mae swore that one day she would learn how to keep herself from blushing when thinking of potential embarrassment. While she was at it, she'd also figure out how to stop thinking of that film in which her infant self spat up when she didn't want to think about it.

"And guess who will be piloting the shuttle there?" Ahsoka continued. "General Han Solo himself!"

"Wow," Anakin whispered to Mae. "We're gonna meet my _dad,_ imagine that."

Mae stifled a giggle.

"So now you're taking the kids on a trip?"

All heads turned and there was Master Uma once again standing in the doorway, causing Ahsoka to give an exaggerated groan. "Do you just hang out by the door whenever I'm trying to teach or something?"

"Personally, I don't know why Master Skywalker is letting you teach his class when you never rose beyond the rank of padawan," said the lightsaber teacher, leaning against the door frame and folding her arms. "You're not much more advanced than they are."

Ahsoka ground her teeth. "Need I remind you that Master Skywalker is trying to track down the Revolutionaries right now? Besides, didn't I help you capture the guy who shot General Solo?"

"Yes, but I did most of the work," said Master Uma. "Anyway, when is this trip?"

"This weekend."

"Good, then I'll be able to come with you."

"What?" Ahsoka exclaimed along with several of the students.

"Well _someone_ needs to be there in case you get into trouble."

. . .

"Mae, can I ask you something?" Tamyra suddenly asked as the shuttle flew towards the small moon of Yavin 4.

Mae was pressing her finger against the window, circling it around the moon. "What is it?"

"Well . . . what does Yavin 4 . . . _look_ like?"

Mae gulped, wanting to point out that her friend seemed to have been obsessed with sight ever since their return from the alternate world, but instead she simply said, "Well, it doesn't look like much from space. It looks like a big greenish-blue ball."

"You _do_ know I don't know what greenish-blue _is_ , right?"

Mae gulped again. How was she supposed to explain color to someone who had been blind her entire life? "Well . . . green and blue are kind of . . . _cool_ colors. Grass is green and water is blue – or at least it looks blue when it's in a lake or ocean – so those two colors make a lot of people think of the outdoors. My family takes trips to Naboo a lot to visit our relatives, so I guess those two colors make me think of that planet – have you ever been there?"

"No, but I hear it's supposed to be . . . beautiful." Tamyra said that last word as if it were a curse.

"It is," said Mae, concentrating on how to describe the planet without alluding to sight. "Lots of different flowers grow there, so the air smells real sweet, and you can hear birds most places too. It's warm there most of the year and perfect for swimming. Most of the time we stay by the lake country, where there's this huge lake that you can swim in and a warm beach right by it where you can feel the sun beaming down on your faces. And then there are the underwater cities – there you can hear your voice echoing off the barriers and the water splashing against them."

"It sounds real nice."

She didn't say anything else as the shuttle made ready for landing, but Mae could sense that there was more on Tamyra's mind than she was revealing.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks for reading!

"Defenders of the Force Episode 8: The Revolutionaries Strike"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 2

"Mae, what does this exhibit look like?" Tamyra asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

Mae gave a small sigh. "Well, it's the outfit my dad wore when he got his medal after blowing up the first Death Star. Black pants, a black shirt, and a yellow jacket over it."

"I already told you – I can't imagine colors!"

"Well I don't know how _else_ to describe it!" Mae had to restrain herself from letting her voice get too loud. "It's behind glass, so I don't know what it feels like, but Dad still has the medal itself, so maybe after we get home he'll let you hold it."

Tamyra gave a low growl. "It's not fair, why is so much of this museum meant for _sight?"_

"Hey, you _could_ have gotten one of those audio-tour things _meant_ for blind people, but you chose not to."

The Mirialan's brow furrowed. "I . . . I didn't want one."

"So you thought it was more convenient to just ask me what stuff looks like every thirty seconds?"

Now Tamyra's lip was quivering. She wasn't going to cry, was she? "You don't understand . . ."

Mae was grateful that her friend couldn't see her mouth twist. "I _was_ there, remember?"

"But you're not _blind!_ " Tamyra exclaimed. "I had a chance to see and it disappeared just like that – you can't possibly imagine what _that's_ like."

"Are you saying you _wish_ you became a Dark Jedi and the dark side version of my dad had fixed your sight?" Mae shouted.

" _No,_ I just . . ."

"Hey, what's going on?" a voice interrupted.

Mae whipped her head around to find Anakin emerging from the men's refresher. "Nothing," she said, "but maybe _you_ can tell Tamyra what the next few exhibits look like."

. . .

The holofilm about the Death Star didn't say nearly enough about Han. Seriously, he was the one who swooped in at the last minute and enabled Luke to destroy the Death Star – that should be one of the main things they talked about! But no, it was interviews with the former generals and talk, talk, talk, though Han had to admit the part about that Jyn Erso person who stole the Death Star plans was kind of interesting.

"How come they didn't interview you for this, Dad?" Anakin whispered.

Han shrugged. "Probably cause they knew I'd be so awesome that they'd end up making the entire film about me."

Right now the film was explaining the technical aspects on why a single blast from an X-Wing was able to destroy the entire station, which was even more boring in the film than it had been in the briefing before the battle. He leaned back in his seat, wondering if he'd have time for a nap, when he heard his son yawn next to him.

"Film boring you too, son?" he asked playfully.

"No," said Anakin, yawning again. "I'm just . . . tired all of a sudden."

"That's called bein' bored. All this technical mumbo-jumbo could put the whole theater to sleep."

"Yeah . . . guess . . . so . . ." With that, Anakin's head dropped to his father's shoulder and his eyes closed.

"Uh . . . Anakin?" Han asked, then he heard another yawn behind him, sounding like it was coming from Master Uma. With a gulp, he peered to the side, his eyelids suddenly heavy.

It was difficult to tell in the dark, but everyone in Han's row appeared to be either asleep or falling asleep. A cloud was forming in Han's own mind, but he was still awake enough to realize this wasn't normal no matter how boring the film was.

"Anakin!" he shouted, his voice slurring as he shook his son's body. "C'mon, wake up, you gotta wake up!"

No response. What could have put everyone to sleep like this? Did someone gas the theater? If that was so . . . it would be a matter of moments before Han was asleep too . . . he had to get help before that happened . . .

His body felt like it was stuck to the seat and his head was lolling. No . . . no . . . don't go to sleep . . . get help . . . He gently pushed Anakin off his shoulder and gripped the arms of his seat, trying to push himself up . . . but he was only halfway to a standing position when he slumped back into the seat, fast asleep.

. . .

"We are sorry," came the announcement outside the holotheater, "due to technical difficulties, this theater is closed."

The cluster of people waiting outside the theater groaned and shuffled out of line, making their way to various other exhibits.

In the meantime, the captives were carried out the emergency exit.

. . .

The first thing Mae was aware of was a sickly smell. Did Owen put a prank stinkbomb in her room again? No . . . this didn't smell like that . . . it smelled like . . . what? She yawned, wondering how early in the morning it was – it sure didn't feel like she'd gotten enough sleep.

"Mae!" Something was poking her side. "Come on Mae, wake up!"

Wait, what was Anakin doing here? Mae forced her eyes open and there were Anakin and Tamyra hovering over her. "Wha?"

"Good, we're all awake now," said Tamyra.

"All?" Mae blinked, realizing she wasn't in her room and suddenly remembering that they had been on a trip to Yavin 4. "Wait, what happened?"

"We all fell asleep during the holofilm and woke up here, that's all I know," said Anakin. "And I don't know where _here_ is either – or where everyone else is."

"Wait, one minute you're saying _all_ and the next minute you're wondering where everyone else is?"

" _All_ in this case means the three of us, Kiro, and Sylia," said Tamyra. "I'm guessing the others must be in other rooms."

Mae slowly sat up, finding that they were in a windowless white room that was completely devoid of furniture except for five cots, including the one she was on. Their Ewok classmate Kiro was knocking on the door and howling out in Ewokese and Sylia was sulking on one of the cots.

"The Revolutionaries," Mae muttered as she stood up. "This has to be the Revolutionaries."

"Wow, _brilliant,_ " snapped Sylia. "I'm sure none of us thought of that!"

Kiro chirped in Ewokese that being rude wasn't going to help anyone.

"What do you think they want with us?" Tamyra asked.

"Maybe they're gonna kill us," said Sylia. "They've sure tried before with that bomb and stuff."

"But why would they go to the trouble to kidnap us if they're just gonna kill us?" asked Anakin. "If they wanted to kill us, they could've just sprayed us with poison gas instead of sleeping gas."

Mae tried without success to keep herself from shuddering. They had kidnapped Owen to experiment on him – was that what they were going to do now?

All of a sudden the door slid open, causing Kiro to fall over. "Aww, aren't you cute?" said a familiar female voice, making Mae's blood run cold. She looked up and there was that same human woman with the oval eyes and silky black hair, wearing the white coat of a scientist and sporting that fake sweet smile.

"Lee . . ." she growled.

The scientist who had experimented on Owen turned her smile to Mae as if they were old friends. "Why Mae Skywalker, it's so nice to see you again."


	3. Chapter 3

"Defenders of the Force Episode 8: The Revolutionaries Strike"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 3

"I _knew_ we shouldn't have gone to that holotheater!" Master Uma was shouting. "I sensed something was wrong the minute we walked in!"

"Well I didn't sense anything at all," Ahsoka shouted back.

"Of course _you_ wouldn't! You never even made it to Knight level, yet alone Master!"

Ahsoka ground her teeth. "You know, saying that every time you're angry at me doesn't make _you_ any more competent!"

"And what was _that_ supposed to mean?"

"That you wouldn't have lasted five minutes in the Clone Wars, for one thing. Exactly how much battle experience do _you_ have?"

"Battle experience means nothing when you take kids right into a trap. Just _wait_ until Master Skywalker finds out about this."

Han groaned loudly from the cot where he was sitting with his arms folded. "Hey, do you ladies know you give me and Leia a run for our money with your fighting?"

The two Jedi simply glared at him.

"Furthermore," Han continued as he stood up, "don't ya think we might should be tryin' to find a way _out_ of here and then tryin' to find the kids?"

"I sense that they're in the exact same situation we're in, just in different cells," said Uma.

"Oh, and that means they're fine?" retorted Han.

Ahsoka held up her hands, showing her palms. "Look, I've been captured many times and the best way to escape is _patience._ Our captors had us all helpless and didn't harm us, which means they must want us for something. Sooner or later someone's bound to come here."

"And that's your plan?" Uma snapped. "Just sit around and wait for someone to come?"

"Well what _else_ can we do?"

"We could try to sense what's going on outside our cell, for starters."

"You just _said_ you sensed that the kids were in cells just like ours – how does that help any?"

"Well what do _you_ sense?"

"That we're being guarded, for one thing."

"Well isn't _that_ helpful?"

Han was beginning to wonder if this was what it was like for the other Rebels when he and Leia argued.

Suddenly Ahsoka froze as if she had just heard a distant noise. "Someone's coming."

No sooner had she said that than the door slid open, revealing maybe ten or fifteen hooded figures, all with blasters pointed at them. Han instinctively reached for his own blaster only to remember that he hadn't brought it on the trip. A quick glance at the Jedi's belts revealed that their lightsabers had been taken away.

"I'm sure you are thinking of yanking these weapons away with the Force, Jedi," said one of the figures in a low, male voice. "However, before you do so, you might want to consider the fact that we have your entire class in captivity. For now they are unharmed, but if you don't cooperate that may change."

Ahsoka and Uma glanced at each other before raising their hands in surrender, forcing Han to follow suit. So long as the kids were in danger they would have to play by the Revolutionaries' rules.

"Good," the same figure said. "Now you . . ." He pointed his blaster at Uma. ". . . and you . . ." He pointed it at Han. ". . . keep your hands up and step out of the cell."

Han and Uma obeyed, stepping into the sea of hoods and blasters.

"As for _you,_ Ahsoka Tano," said the figure, "our leader has something _special_ planned for you."

. . .

"Give me one good reason not to Force-choke you!" Mae screamed at Lee.

Lee smirked. "You don't know how to Force-choke, I'd say that's a good enough reason."

"Mae, who is this?" asked Tamyra.

"The scientist who kidnapped my brother and experimented on him," Mae growled.

"And your brother was a very good patient," Lee said with an overly-sweet grin.

Kiro attempted to dash past the woman out of the cell, but Lee grabbed him before he could get out. "Ah-ah, naughty naughty!" she said, picking the Ewok up and ignoring his screams. "Where did you think you were going – you don't even know where you are!"

Kiro shrieked that Lee was going to hear from his parents and that they had both fought in the Battle of Endor and Lee had better be scared of them.

Lee ignored the Ewok's shrieks as she rather roughly put him down. "Now come on, children, there's no reason to be upset. We only want to help you."

"Help us my butt," growled Anakin.

Lee's sickly-sweet smile didn't waver. "Now if you cooperate, you'll be returned home before you know it."

"That's just what you told my brother!" Mae snapped.

"And if you hadn't tried to play the hero, he would have been returned safely," Lee retorted.

Mae ground her teeth, wishing she were trained enough to shove the cots with the Force. "Our parents will realize we're gone and send out a rescue mission."

"Oh no they won't," said Lee, reaching into her pocket. "You see . . ." She pulled out Mae's comlink. ". . . _you_ are going to tell them that you're all fine."

"And what makes you think I'm gonna do that?"

With that, Lee stepped aside letting in four armed figures all wearing hoods that covered their faces – Mae wondered if that was the Revolutionaries' official uniform. Before anyone could react, they each grabbed one of Mae's cellmates, pressing blasters against their heads.

"Simple," said Lee, a sadistic grin on her face as she handed Mae the comlink. "Either you do it or things could end badly for your friends."

"Mae, don't do it!" Anakin shouted, but there was a waver in his voice.

Mae gulped. "They'll . . . they'll be able to trace the frequency and see we're not on Yavin 4 anymore," she said feebly.

"Oh, we're still on Yavin 4," said Lee. "Just not at your little museum anymore. Now, are you going to cooperate? I sure don't want to have to hurt children."

Mae glanced around at her terrified friends before taking a deep breath and punching in her parents' comm frequency, praying they wouldn't answer.

No such luck. Luke answered after the first beep. "Hey sweetheart! How's everything?"

"Uh . . ." Mae swallowed again, concentrating on keeping her voice steady. ". . . great." She shifted her eyes, wishing there were a hologram so her father could at least see her distress. "We watched a holofilm about the Death Star and how it was made and how the plans were stolen and stuff." She gulped, wishing she knew how to send a message via the Force. _Dad, we're not okay,_ she thought feebly. _Come rescue us._

"That sounds real interesting," said Luke.

"Yeah," said Mae, still struggling to sound natural, not taking her eyes off of the blasters pressed into her friends' foreheads, "at least they didn't show that film about our family."

"Oh come on." Mae could imagine her father's grinning face. "You were an adorable baby."

"I guess . . ." Mae wished her father could hear her rapid heartbeat from Coruscant. "Well . . . I should probably let you go."

"Okay," said Luke. "Tell everyone I said hi."

With that, Luke hung up, taking the hope of rescue with him.

"Good job," said Lee, taking the comlink back. "Now, if you children will just follow us, we have a demonstration to get to."

"What sort of _demonstration?_ " Sylia asked in a shaky voice.

"You'll see," said Lee.


End file.
